Shifting Moods

Ferns On Stone Wall, Haywood County, NC  -  2016

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Autumn is usually associated with color photography for obvious reasons. In my area, we had an extremely warm September, and only in the last week or so have we begun to experience more fall-like temperatures. Our trees are still mostly green, with only a hint of color here and there. The fall leaf show is still a couple of weeks away.

Maybe that's why I've been in more of a black and white mood lately. I know the explosion of color is soon to come, and maybe, subconsciously, I don't want to burn out on color too early. When I saw these very green ferns growing out of a stone wall, I immediately started thinking of how this shot would look in black and white. Don't ask me why. Earlier in the summer I probably would have been thinking color. Who can explain our moods?

I'm Proud

Determination, Bethel, NC  -  2016

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My oldest daughter, Heather, ran in her first half marathon yesterday morning. She just got interested in running again less than a year ago, so I was a little surprised that she was ready to take on an event like this so soon. "13.1 miles over hilly terrain! Is she nuts?"

The weather Saturday morning was cool and rainy. On top of that, Heather was beginning to experience the symptoms of a head cold. It would have been easy for her to find an excuse to bail out and attempt this another time, but Heather was determined to compete and finish the event. And she did. She finished with a time of 2:10:09. I was proud of her determination, and impressed with her athletic accomplishment.

Of course, I brought my camera to the race. I got some of the standard shots before, during, and after the event, but I wanted to create something more than just a snapshot of Heather running. I wanted to depict her determination, her resolve to complete the course. I chose to work with this one of her running alone, continuing on, fueled by her own tenacity. Yeah, you could say I'm a proud Dad.

Out Of Ideas

Untitled, Shining Rock Wilderness, NC  -  2016

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Once again, I got hung up on a title. On most of the photos I post, a title seems to suggest itself fairly quickly. On a few, like the photo above, nothing usable comes to mind. The few titles that did pop into my head seemed trite or corny; I'd rather just leave it untitled. Who decreed that a photo had to have a title anyway?

Learning New Software

Scales of Justice, Sylva, NC  -  2016

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I'm playing around with a new piece of software I found for doing B&W conversions, Black and White Projects 3.0 by Franzis. I have been frustrated by the fact that quite a few pieces of software that I've used for years, and come to love, won't work in Windows 10, or with Elements 14. An older version of Silver Efex Pro is one that I could no longer use, to my dismay and frustration. This new software will hopefully fill a gap in my photo editing arsenal, albeit with an initially steep learning curve. It normally sells for $129, but it was offered for one day on Giveaway Of the Day at my favorite price, FREE! So I'm back to school with software once again.

You Can't Make It Up

Balancing Act, Asheville, NC  -  2016

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When I head to downtown Asheville, I never know what I'm going to see. That's why it's a good idea to carry a camera at all times. You just can't predict, or plan on scenes like this.

Sin Tiempo. Almost.

Street Scene, Asheville, NC  -  2016

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Several years ago, I discovered a series of photos by photographer Michael Crouser which he called sin tiempo, which means "without time". He looks for scenes devoid of obvious evidences of a particular era of time. The street scene above almost qualifies. Except for the obviously modern car in the bottom left corner, this photo could have been made any time from the mid 1920s to today.

Finding Your Way Around Asheville

You Are Here, Asheville, NC  -  2016

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